Automatic grip-release



(No Model.)

B. AJWVALTERS & I. J. MAXON.

AUZTOM ATIG GRIP RELEASE. No. 545,002. Patented Aug. 20, 1895.

WITNESSES: IggE/VTORE E are 176% 7'3. M ji gal JJZZW-on A UNITED STATES PATENT Enron,

AUTOMATIC GRlP-RELEAS E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,002, dated August 20, 1895.

- Application filed June 17, 1895- Serial No. 553,090. (No model.)

ment in Automatic Grip Releases, of which the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to provide a simple mechanism for causing the grip of a cable to automatically release its hold upon the cable at crossings and other points in the road where it is necessary to drop the cable. Ordinarily this is dependent upon the mem cry and attention of the gripman; but it frequently happens, owing to the many things demanding his attention, that the grip is not promptly released, and this almost invariably involves the breaking of one of the cables or other serious derangement to the operative condition of the system, involving great loss to the road and serious inconvenience and embarrassment to the traveling public. Automatic devices have heretofore been provided for causing the grip to drop the cable at definite points; but these all operate upon the pawl or detent of the handle-lever, and as this is generally held tightly by the tractionstrain of the cable it does not act with that sensitiveness and certainty that is necessary. Our improvement consists in making the ratchet-bar or notched segment, with which the pawl engages, itself movable, and combining therewith tripping mechanism for dropping it away from the holding pawl or detent, in contradistinction to moving the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet-bar. By this means the traction-strain does not antagonize the tripping devices, and the automatic mechanism is made to act with sensitiveness and certainty, as hereinafter more fully described with reference to the drawings, in which-- Figure l is a side elevation of a part of the grip mechanism with our invention applied to the same, and Fig. 2 a plan View of the same.

A represents the grip-lever, which is fulcrumed at a in the grip-frame B B B. O is the ratchet-bar or curved and notched segment whose teeth are engaged by the pawl or detent to, whose engagement and disengagement with the teeth are regulated by the rod 0' and spring-latch c in the usual way. One end of the toothed segment is hinged or fuldraft-strain and releases the grip.

crumed about a stationary center and the other end is entirely free and disconnected from other parts and plays loosely between the two parallel bars B B of the upper portion of the framework.

D is a curved tripping-shoe, hinged at its forward end d to the framework of the grip or an ofiset therefrom, and near its rear end is jointed to a vertical rod E, whose upper end is jointed to the outer end of a short and curved lever F, fulcrumed near its middle in the portion B of the grip-frame. This lever at its inner end forms a'rest or support for the rear or free end of the notched bar 0, and ordinarily holds it up to its normal position, in connection with the weight of the rod E and shoe D, so that when the pawl of the handlever engages with said notched bar the latter is sufficiently held in place to resist the rearward movement of the hand-lever when under the influence of the traction-strain which is exerted in the direction of the arrow.

Along the road-bed at such points as it is desired that the grip shall be released are placed stationary inclined projections G, and

whenlthe car reaches any such point such projection acts upon the shoe D and, lifting the same, causes the rod E to lift the outer end of leverF and lower its inner end, which forms the support of the notched bar, The result is that the notched bar is dropped down away from the pawl, and the hand-lever being no longer held moves rearwardlyfromthe This ac tion, it will be seen, is rendered very easy and sensitive, because the notched bar, acting with a radial swing downwardly about its center, moves away from the pawl in the direotion of its thrust, so that disengagement therefrom is easily effected. When the pawl is lifted away from a stationary notched bar, as heretofore, it will be seen that the power to lift the pawl must act in a direction at a right angle to the direction of the thrust of the pawl on the notched bar, so that the pawl has a tendency to hang on the teeth from the great friction involved by the traction-strain. Our invention, it will be seen, overcomes this difficulty entirely and makes a safe, certain, and sensitive releasing device, which is perfectly automatic in its action and simple in its application.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a grip lever, and its locking pawl; of a toothed locking bar hinged at one end and free at the other, and tripping mechanism supporting the free end of the toothed lockingbar in its normal working position, and adapted to be adjusted to effect movement of the free end of the looking bar away from the pawl substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. A grip mechanism consisting of a grip lever having a pawl, a downwardly movable locking bar, curved and provided with teeth on its upper convex edge to engage with the pawl above and means for adjusting it substantially as shown and described.

3. A grip mechanism having a toothed locking bar hinged at one end and free at the 20 other, and automatic tripping mechanism for adjusting it substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. The combination with a grip lever, and its locking pawl; of a toothed locking bar hinged at. one end and free at the other, a lever sustaining the said free end, a rod connected to the outer end of said lever, and a shoe hinged to the grip frame and also to the rod, and adapted to be operated upon by a projection in the road bed substantially as and for the purpose described.

EUGENE A. WALTERS. FRED J. MAXON. Witnesses:

C. S. DOUGLASS, H. Y. GODFREY. 

